The Life and Times of Neville Longbottom
by I-Fox Mischief
Summary: Neville's life after the war changes numerously. He now lives in New York, working as a journalist and owns a big apartment. He never knew the secrets of Jamie Clarke, his loyal housemate, till a day full of surprises jumps on him. Reminding him the past.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1- YOU CAN'T RUNAWAY FROM WHAT YOU ARE**

**So I decided to be creative and spill out my creative juices. Should I continue?**

The prevailing of a good man is not because he is strong or weak but to the faith and justice that resides and deeply embodied in him. No such men can custom to this other than Neville Longbottom.

The night had gotten even hotter and running for peace felt like swimming as fast as he could through a boiling soup. At the corner of her block Neville got trapped at a DON'T WALK sign. He jittered up and down impatiently on the balls of his feet while Muggle traffic whizzed by in a blur of headlights. He tried to call Harry on his cell phone for the millionth time that hour, but he didn't answer. The phone didn't look like any Muggle phone Neville had ever seen before. The Hexarchy's buttons didn't have numbers on them, just more bizarre symbols, and there was no screen. Come to think of it, the phone Harry and he had was like a kiddy walky talky.

Jogging up the street toward his rented apartment, he saw that the lights on the second-floor windows were lit, the usual sign that his friends were home. _Alright_ Neville told himself. _Everything's fine. _But his stomach tightened the moment he stepped into the entryway. The overhead light had burned out, and the foyer was in darkness. Then shadows seemed full of secret movements. Shivering, he went upstairs, hoping for the betterment of his safety, he held his wand out.

"Surprise!" said multiple joyous voices.

Neville whirled. "What-"

He broke off. His eyes adjusting to colourful decorations on the wall which stated 'Happy 21st Birthday Neville' and the appearance of his old school mate.

"I told you Harry," Neville said, "I do not want a party,"

"I don't think-"Harry tried to explain.

"You scared me for the past hour; I had to run away from the coffee shop, away from Malcolm. I thought that some demons were threatening you," Neville wiped the sweat off his forehead, looking intently in the all too familiar green eyes.

"Demons? Dude I'm a wizard, I can zap them off if I wanted to. Besides, that little incident with Mr Parker was uncalled for," Harry laughed.

"Zapping them off won't ward them off; do you ever watch TV or better still read? Oh and don't you dare mention the deceased Parker! He nearly-"shrieked Neville.

"You live in a rich geeky world… have a wish," Harry called out.

Neville sighed and he silently wished that McGonagall won't send his wizard friends over to check if he's alright. Then he blew the 21 candles with stood out of the Chocolate Mud cake. He remembered the night when everything changed, after the war, he packed his bags and left the wizarding world and settled in the Muggle world just nicely. He is now the top ten best New York's journalist. Of course, back then, he hadn't known that Harry had his bags packed as well and was following him under his brown Invisibility Cloak.

"Where's Jamie?" rendered Neville, taking a seat in front of his big screen TV. _Great I missed out on the news. _Jamie was Neville's brunette house mate but Harry reckons he has the dibs on her.

There was no reply. He went downstairs. Windows were half opened, yards of gauzy white curtains blowing in the breeze like restless ghosts. Only when the wind dropped and the curtains settled did Neville see a slim figure resting on his leather lounge. The bookshelves looked like it's been rummaged thoroughly, half of its contents spilled over the blue rug below and one resided on Jamie's tender face. The piano bench lay open, contents neatly piled like a row of statues, Jamie's beloved music books spewing out on one corner.

_God, what did she do now?_ Neville wondered silently.

He walked over to the kitchen. Dishes were piled nicely on its rack, the table was clear except for a bowl of assorted fruits in the center of the honey Jarrah. Neville walked over to the bench to make himself a cup of warm coffee, he had wasted his delicious Espresso in Starbucks a few minutes ago, thinking that his friends were in trouble. He admitted that he could use magic to make one drink, but he refrained himself from using any magic till it's required to do so.

"Harry?" Neville called out, concentrating on The Daily Messengers, reading the headlines.

"Be there in a sec," he heard a voice from upstairs.

_What kind of idiot would hack into a police patrol car, wailing the sirens and racing through the town?_

A noise sounded through the apartment, raising the short hairs along the nape of his neck. Like something rousing vibrantly. The sound was then followed by a dragging, slithering noise- and it was coming towards the kitchen. Stomach concentrating in terror, Neville scrambled to his feet and turned around slowly.

For a moment his heart sped up in his chest, but then he heaved a sigh of relief to see Jamie standing up groggily, rubbing her head.

"Do you have aspirins? My head hurts, I baked you that cake, and I was trying to compose music for you all evening-"Jamie sauntered and walked past Neville and rummaged through the cupboards. "But as you can see, it turned out to be a mess," she pointed to the common room.

"Top shelf, to the right," Neville directed her to a box filled with medications.

There was a moment of astonished silence before Jamie acknowledged Harry's presence then began to speak. "How's your day off?"

"Just the usual, spend some time with the guys for a ball game then we went for coffee," Neville replied. The kindness in her voice hurt; he turned slowly, and looked at Harry across the room but Harry left as soon as he entered, seeing that Neville wanted privacy.

"Neville, would you accompany me to St Marks for my annual photography session? Then maybe we'll have lunch out," asked Jamie. She thought how odd it was that, with Neville's dark hair and tired face, he looked so much matured.

Neville considered this for a second. The last time he went out with a girl, his doofus part took over and he ended up looking like the crazy man across the road, who sells flowers and ornaments. "Um… you know I'm-"

"You don't have to, but it'll be nice to get to know more about my housemate," added Jamie, gulping down a glass of water to wash off the aspirin.

"Deal," smiled Neville. He didn't move toward her but watched her across the room with a bird's bright-eyed stillness. _Shit if I ever wrack this outing, I'll kill myself._

"You said you left your hometown," said Jamie "Where were you from?"

Neville raised his eyebrows "I'm from Winchester, England,"

"Cool, my granny stays there. I'm part British and part American,"

"You British?" snorted Neville, as they whizzed along the highway in his yellow Mazda.

"I am," Jamie said softly "But my family's dead now,"

"Dead? How?" Neville turned his steering wheel to the left, directing it to stay in the left lane.

"Fire broke out, I survived. Lived with my Aunt in New York ever since," muttered Jamie.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear-" Neville's look was quick, but Jamie saw it.

She said "Rumors heard it that it wasn't a normal fire break out, but someone with great force did it,"

"Great force?" Neville asked, his face a mask of astonishment.

"If I explain, you'll think I'm nuts," Jamie stared out the window.

"When were you born?" Neville asked again. The answer that was about to hit him, changed his perspective of Jamie ever since.

"31st of July," Jamie turned and faced Neville in the eye as if she was looking at her tutor with new eyes, Jamie thought that she had saw a fearsome look spread across Neville's face. "What's wrong with my birth date?"

"I have to ask you, did your parents happen to be killed when you were sleeping as a baby?" Neville's voice was dry with amusement in his voice.

"How'd you know that?" Jamie asked, bewildered by her discoveries.

"Lucky guess," sighed Neville as his head rested on the head rest, thinking how he'll react to her the whole day. Here he was trying to run away for wizards and magic but there was a witch living under the same roof as he.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2- THE MEMORY OF WHITENESS**

**Sorry for the grammatical errors in my first chapter. I was writing it when I just recovered from a faint and sleep deprivation. Read on!**

The thick sweet scent of incense spilled from the half-open door into the foyer. Neville and Jamie could hear a low murmur of voices inside from outside the newly redecorated building.

"Nice to see he's doing a booming business," Neville said. "It's hard to get a steady photographer wingman these days,"

"Do you have to be sarcastic about everything?" Jamie snapped.

Neville blinked, clearly taken aback. "I thought you liked it when I was witty and ironic,"

Jamie was about to reply when the door to Dean Marylyn's swung open and a woman stepped out. She was tall, with maple-syrup-coloured skin, gold-blue eyes like a cat's, and wavy black hair. She grinned at her blindingly, showing razor sharp teeth.

A wave of dizziness came over her, the strong sensation that she was going to faint.

Neville glanced at her uneasily. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to pass out,"

Jamie blinked at him. "What? No, I'm fine,"

He didn't seem to want to let it drop. "You look like you've seen a ghost,"

She shook her head. The memory of having seen something teased her, but when she tried to concentrate, it slid away like running water. "Nothing. I thought I saw one of Dean's dogs, but I guess it was just a trick of the light." Neville stared at her. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday," she added defensively. "I guess I'm a little out of it."

He slid a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Come on, I'll buy you some food."

"I just can't believe you're from England as well," Jamie said for the fourth time, chasing a stray bit of guacamole around her plate with the tip of a nacho. They were at a neighbourhood Mexican joint, a hole in the wall called Nacho Puerto. "Like your accent sounds pretty much like an Irish to me,"

"Well you know, I have an Irish friend back there, we're pretty close. I guess some of his accent jumped onto my throat," Neville said. "Like when he breathes in and out," He grinned at her around his meatball burrito.

"Oh sure, act like it's funny," Jamie said. "You're not the one who has to double check if she's living with a language translator,"

"Jamie," Neville interrupted her tirade. "Who are you?"

"What'd you mean? I'm the same old 21 year old brunette with an excellent figure; I know you check me out sometimes," Jamie joked, sipping on her Raspberry Slushy.

"Well, because you're a pretty nice chick," Neville said after a pause. "No seriously, I mean you and I have been close friends for what 3 years now. Who are you? What happened to you? Why'd you move to New York?"

Jamie picked a hot pepper off her plate and nibbled the edge meditatively. "My aunt and I had this crazy fight. She persisted that I needed to go to this special school somewhere in England but I would never go back to that godforsaken place where my parents have died. She said that I will learn new skills and I have to adapt to it before someone comes after me," she paused, looking at Neville's full-on concentration in what she had to say. "So, I said no for the millionth time and she chased me out, saying if I'm in danger, don't come back to Brooklyn. Then I decided to take my job offer and I moved to New York. What'd you ask?"

Neville blinked at her. "Your aunt meant something there, but that someone is dead now. Hopefully he won't be alive again,"

Jamie sucked in air to cool her burning mouth. "Please, just let's drop this topic. I'm feeling confused and uneasy. And girls hate it when they feel like that," She checked a new message on her small blue phone.

"Aw," Neville made a face at her. "That's sweet,"

"No it isn't. It just feels weird. Anyways, Jarred invited me to one of his friend's poem recitation at The Solid Humane. Want to tag along?"

Neville's face changed dramatically. He thought that at least for today, they would not have a Jarred related conversation, but no; she has to bring up her wealthy American boyfriend.

"What'd I say?' Jamie stared at him.

Neville gulped down his Coke. "Yeah, I guess so,"

"Something's not right. You're not happy that Jarred is spending his day with us. Is that it?" Jamie said decidedly. "I think you should let go of the past,"

He stared at her, and seemed about to say something when her cell phone, buried in her handbag, began an insistent blaring of _Fall For You_ by Secondhand Serenade. Jamie fished it out, gazed at the numbers blinking on the screen, and scowled. "It's Jarred,"

"I could tell from the look on your face. You going to talk to him?"

"Not right now," Jamie said, feeling the familiar bite of guilt in her stomach as the phone stopped ringing and voice mail picked up. "I don't want to talk to him, we had some problems,"

"You can always not go to that recitation," Neville said.

"We'll see if he apologizes first," Jamie punched the voice mail button on her phone. Her boyfriend's voice sounded tense, but he was clearly trying for lightness. "Baby, look I'm really sorry for last Friday night. Come here and we'll talk. I miss you Jay," Jamie hung up the phone before the message ended, feeling even guiltier and still angry at the same time. "He wants to talk about it,"

"Do you want to talk to him?" Neville persisted.

"I don't know." Jamie rubbed her back of her hand across her eyes. "Would you accompany me?"

"I'm always there when you need me the most," Neville grinned.

Jamie stood up, pushing her chair back. "Then I'll go to the recitation, with you." The strap of her brown handbag slid down her arm. Neville pushed it back up absently, his fingers lingering at her bare skin of her shoulder.

The air outside was spongy with moisture, the humidity frizzing Jamie's hair and sticking Neville's polo top to his back. "So what's up with the recitation?" he asked. "Anything new? I heard a lot of yelling in the background when you answered your voice mail."

Jamie's face lit up. "Things are great," she said. "Jarred says that his boy band gets a gig every few weeks at some club or school function. They're talking about having a band name too,"

"Oh yeah?" Neville hid a smile. Jarred's band never actually produced any music. Mostly they just sat in Jarred's living room, fighting about potential songs to be remixed. He wondered if any of them could actually play an instrument. "What's on the table?"

"He's choosing between Paramore and Avril Lavinge or Shortstack with Lady Gaga,"

Neville shook his head. "Those are both terrible."

"Stephen suggested remixing their own songs,"

"Maybe Stephen should stick to being a DJ,"

"But then Jarred'll have to find a new drummer,"

"Oh is that what Stephen does? I thought he just mooched money off Jarred and went around telling girls that he was in a band in order to impress them,"

"Not at all, he's actually good," Jamie said breezily. "Stephen had turned over a new leaf. He has a girlfriend. They've been going out for what four months now,"

"Practically married if you asked me," Neville said, stepping around a couple pushing a toddler in a stroller: a little boy with a red tie that was clutching a superhero with streaked ruby wings. Out of the corner of Jamie's eyes, she saw the wings flutter. She turned her head hastily. "Which means," Neville continued, "That Cory is the last member without a girlfriend. The point of being in a band is about getting girls. Right?"

"I thought it was all about the music." A man with a cane cut across her path, heading for Bazzo Street. She glanced away, afraid that if she looked at anyone for too long they would sprout wings, extra arms, or long forked tongues like snakes. "Who cares if Cory doesn't have a girlfriend, anyway?"

"My colleague care," Neville said gloomily. "Pretty soon, Lauren would chase after me with her Valentine Card,"

"At least she knows you're available,"

Neville glared. "Not funny, Clarke."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo

By the time they got to The Solid Humane, Jarred and band was already onstage, swaying back and forth in front of the microphone with his eyes squinched shut. He'd dyed the tips of his hair Red for the occasion. Behind Jarred, Stephen, looking stoned, was beating the irregularly on a Yamaha drum.

"This is going to suck so hard," Neville predicted. He felt Jamie tugging his sleeves toward the doorway.

"If we make a run for it, we can still get away." Jamie nagged.

Neville just shook his head determinedly. "I'm nothing if not a man of my word," he squared his shoulders. "I'll get coffee if you find us a seat. What do you want?"

"Just coffee. Black-_like my soul_,"

Neville headed off toward the coffee bar, muttering under his breath that Jamie sounded exactly like Seamus back then. Jamie went to find them a seat.

The coffee shop was crowded for a Tuesday; most of the threadbare- looking couches and armchairs were taken up with teenagers enjoying a free weeknight. The smell of coffee and clove cigarettes was overwhelming. Finally Jamie found an unoccupied leather love seat in a darkened corner toward the back. The only other person nearby was a blond girl in a _I Love NY _tank top, absorbed in playing with her IPhone. _Good,_ Jamie thought, _Jarred won't be able to find us back here after the show to ask how his music was._

The blond girl leaned over the side of her chair and tapped on Jamie's shoulder. "Excuse me," Jamie looked up in surprise. "Is that your boyfriend?" the girl asked.

Jamie followed the line of the girl's gaze, already prepared, _Yeah, don't ever mess with him_, when she realized the girl meant Neville. He was headed toward them, face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to not drop either if the Styrofoam cups. "Uh no," Jamie said. "He's a friend of mine,"

The girl beamed. "He's cute. Does he have a girlfriend?"

Jamie hesitated for a second too long before replying. "No,"

The girl looked suspicious. "Is he gay?"

Jamie was spared responding to this by Neville's return. The blond girl sat back hastily as he set the cups on the table and threw himself down next to Jamie. "I hate it when they run out of mugs. Those things are hot," He blew on his fingers and scowled. Jamie tried to hide a smile as she watched him. Normally she never thought about whether Neville was good looking or not. He had pretty dark eyes, with the right haircut and his lips were to die for-

"You're staring at me," Neville said. "Why are you staring at me? Have I got something on my face?"

_I should tell him_, she thought, though some part of her was strangely reluctant. _I'd be a bad friend if I didn't._ "Don't look now, but that blond girl over there thinks you're cute," Jamie whispered.

Neville's eyes flicked sideways to stare at the girl, who was industriously studying an issue of _Cover Girl_. "The girl in the tank top?" Jamie nodded. Neville looked dubious. "what makes you think so?"

_Tell him. Go on, tell him_. Jamie opened her mouth to reply, and she was interrupted by a burst of Jarred's feedback. She winced and covered her ears as Jarred, onstage, wrestled with his microphone.

"sorry about that guys!" he yelled. "All right. I'm Jarred and this is my homeboy Stephen on his drums. I think I'll change course for my baby Jamie over at the back," A blinding spotlight appeared over head where Jamie and Neville was. As she stood up, a round of cheers and applause was given out. She blushed intently.

"I hope after this song, I'll get an answer. All right, zest it up guys!"

The rhythm of Bruno Mar's _Marry You_, burst out as Jarred made his way down, singing sweetly to Jamie. Jamie was pushed forward by Neville. She could hear Neville's giggles. At the last note of the song, Jarred in his black sleek tuxedo, kneeled down on one knee and held out a small red box, inside it held a silver diamond ring, intertwined with gems.

"Jamie Ingrid Clarke, would you be my loyal wedded wife?" Jarred hummed, beaming at the attention he received.

"Look, Jarred, I don't know if this'll work but I'm already with Neville. He cares for what I have to say, not you. I don't care if he's rich or not, but he has a great heart. I'm sorry," Jamie rejected Jarred. He was flushing amber with anger. He ran towards Neville and gave him a huge punch.

Neville's nose was gushing red, he spun around, wand in tight around his hand, and he ran outside. He could hear Jamie's rousing to stop Jarred. Jarred and Neville was now In the dark alleyway. As soon as Jarred came out the door, wand at hand, Neville screamed "Crucio!" He wanted to stop, but his anger to control, only did Jamie burst out of the door, did he realize what he was doing.

"Nev-"Jamie was lost for words as she saw Jarred withering on the floor.

"I never wanted it to be this way," Neville stopped his curse and went over to his housemate.

"I knew it, you were always something else," Jamie broke out

**Ooh… what'll happen next? Stay tuned!**


End file.
